02154cas a2200241 a 4500 AALejournalIMF006658 230101c9999 xx r poo 0 0eng d 5.00 USD 9781455201884 1018-5941 BD-DhAAL BD-DhAAL Velculescu, Delia. Some Uncomfortable Arithmetic Regarding Europe's Public Finances / Delia Velculescu. Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2010. 1 online resource (32 pages) IMF Working Papers <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students Traditional fiscal indicators focused on measures of current deficits and debt miss the potentially important implications of current policies for future public finances. This could be problematic, including in the case of Europe, where population aging is expected to pose additional fiscal costs not captured by such indicators. To better gauge the state of public finances in the EU27 countries, this paper derives forward-looking fiscal measures of intertemporal net worth both directly from the European Commission's Aging Working Group's long-run indicators and using a comprehensive public-sector balance sheet approach. These measures could be used as an "early warning" mechanism and also as a communication device with the public. Current estimates indicate that, on existing policies, the intertemporal net worth of the EU27 is deeply negative, even in excess of its GDP level, and is projected to worsen further over time. This suggests that Europe's current policies need to be significantly strengthened to bring future liabilities in line with the EU governments' capacity to generate assets. Mode of access: Internet IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2010/177 Full text available on IMF http://elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2010/177/001.2010.issue-177-en.xml IMF e-Library